Posted on 09/07/2008 2:33:53 PM PDT by Dawnsblood
A recent Washington Post profile of John McCain’s years at the Naval Academy portrayed him as an unruly, fun-loving, under-achieving Midshipman struggling with his obligation to live up to his family’s brilliant military legacy. It was “a four-year course of insubordination and rebellion,” McCain later wrote. McCain graduated 894th out of 899 in 1958, five spots above the “Anchorman,” the lowest-ranking midshipman. In this respect he did uphold one family tradition; his similarly rebellious father Jack, who would rise to the rank of Admiral and was the Pacific Command CINC while his son was being held prisoner in Hanoi, had graduated 424th of 441.
Some have suggested that McCain’s low class ranking reflects negatively on his fitness to lead the country. But there is no clear relationship between Academy class rank and leadership qualities. For example, Jimmy Carter, the only Naval Academy graduate to serve as president to date, graduated 59th out of a class of 820, so draw your own conclusions. Seventeen class anchors have attained flag rank, and many low-ranking graduates have gone on to brilliant careers. This tracks with the thesis I developed in my book Last in Their Class; the bottom of the class tends to produce a different kind of leader than the top. Those who wind up at the foot are often there by choice. They could do better if they studied, but they would rather trade class ranking for other pursuits. They tend to be the risk takers, the innovators, usually very well liked and in their own way driven. They know how to get into trouble, and more importantly how to get out of it. They also tend to have more than their share of luck.
(Excerpt) Read more at article.nationalreview.com ...
Grant ranked 21st out of 39. Not exactly top or bottom but certainly not reflecting his future success. On the other hand Lee ranked 2nd in his class.
The author, in my opinion, left something out. Frequently, such cadets / middies / whatever are where they are in the class standings for one simple reason - they’re bored. Add boredom to a streak of nonconformity, and you end up with someone (a) who graduates near the bottom of their Academy class; and (b) who, by definition, thinks outside of the box.
It’s called “thinking outside the box”.
Doctor
All this genius had to do was to read McCain’s book “Faith of my Fathers”.
In the book McCain states that his Father was also “unruly” and was unsure if he, too, could live up to the family obligations. He has family that has fought for America going back to the Revolutionary War.
And he learned the hard way.
A magnificent article you found us!
I don’t feel so bad for being in the bottom third of the class, now...
What do you call a law student who graduates at the top of his Harvard class?
LIBERAL.
“I don’t feel so bad for being in the bottom third of the class, now...”
Are you Joe Biden?
Wasn’t Custer dead last, and go on to become the youngest US general of all time? Of course, he did have some problems later on.
There is a good video here.
Amon Bronson was anchorman of 1896. His first assignment after graduation was aboard the USS Maine, and he was asleep in his bunk on February 15, 1898 when the ship blew up in Havana Harbor. Bronson survived, and went on to command the U.S.S. Denver and U.S.S. St. Louis during World War I. For his service he was awarded the Navy Cross.
This is probably wrong. A Navy Cross is awarded for heroism, not service. Any swabees out there care to confirm or deny?
I do however agree with the author's contention that those at the bottom of the class tend to be risk takers, while implying those at the top of the class pretty much follow the academy's party line. Such was my experience at USMA.
Flame away starmen!
I think the bottom of the class tend ornery, too. They aren’t terribly submissive, in general. That’s bad for your rank and file but can be the sign of a great leader.
Leaders don’t often exhibit tendencies to follow others well. It’s not their personality.
McCain flew missions through the gates of Hell and the pissant who wrote this isn’t fit to shine his shoes. Obama is a lawyer whose most difficult decision in his life was whether he should have gone to Harvard or Yale.
No.
No.
No, you got that one wrong! It was between whether to have the almond nicoise salad with arugula or the Tuscan salad with radicchio and extra virgin olive oil...
And was a clerk in his father's store when the war started.
He never wanted to go to West Point and a military career wasn't his goal, but he did believe in the cause.
No no no. That was John Kerry.
For Obama it was between the Falafel and kouskous with Rezko, or the brown rice and tofu and with Ayers.
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